Does the building's Fire Safety Manager need to approve my works?
The law places fire safety duties on the owner and, in designated buildings, on the Fire Safety Manager, whose general duties are set out in the Fire Safety (Fire Safety Managers) Regulations. In practice, building managements route tenant fit-out submissions through the FSM or their consultants, and the SCDF minor A&A process requires the building owner's or MCST's consent. Expect the FSM to check drawings, hot works, impairment of sprinklers and alarms during works, and reinstatement before handover.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in SCDF Fire Safety for Fit-Outs in Singapore: Approvals, Inspections and Common Failures. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Under Singapore's Fire Safety Act, fit-out works that touch fire safety — partitions affecting exits, sprinklers, fire doors, ventilation, change of use — need SCDF plan approval through a Qualified Person before work starts. Small works in buildings with a TFP or FSC can be lodged for S$90 within strict limits. After approved works, a Registered Inspector must certify them before SCDF issues a TFP or FSC.
More questions on this topic
- Does every office fit-out need SCDF approval?
- What is the difference between an FSC, a TFP and a Fire Certificate?
- Who is the Registered Inspector and who appoints them?
- How many sprinklers can I move without full SCDF approval?
- Can I put up a partition without telling SCDF?
- What happens if SCDF finds problems at inspection?
- Is a change of use an SCDF matter?